Venture Philanthropy

Our mission is to accelerate life-changing outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) through catalytic commercial investments. This requires we take 100% concentration risk in drugs, devices, diagnostics, platforms, and other health solutions with application to T1D.

Why venture philanthropy?

Our strategy is simple: leverage your private capital to build a portfolio of investments both attractive to financially motivated investors and that are compelling to the T1D community. Yet, it is risky to invest in a fund fully concentrated in one disease. That’s why we are the first to do it in T1D.

We need philanthropists to disrupt and de-risk the investment market in T1D while we build an investment track record that will attract future capital.

We aim for our portfolio companies to achieve success, not only to deliver life-changing solutions for individuals living with or at risk of T1D today, but to also create a pipeline of next-generation novel opportunities tomorrow. As a high-impact philanthropic vehicle, all returns on the Fund’s investments will be recycled back into the T1D mission. That is because we will not stop until type one is type none.

Selfishly, I'd like to make a difference in my daughter's life, but my heartstrings have also been torn by children whose parents don't have the resources my wife and I do. By giving to the Fund we know we are making a difference for everyone with T1D.

D. Johnson

What the Fund was good at doing was saying, ‘We’re going to try to fill gaps. We’re going to back some of the companies to help them demonstrate their investment potential. We’re going to back some at an earlier stage.

J. Mallory

The team's ability to make decisions quickly from start to finish coupled with the broad net that has been cast on innovative, exiting and dynamic opportunities makes us proud to be a part of this thrilling effort.

K. Eastman

For Donors

A philanthropic vehicle run as a venture capital fund.

JDRF has committed to funding our overheads for 2017-2021. This means our sole focus is on raising and investing private capital for opportunities that will change the lives of those who live with, or at risk of developing, T1D.

Similar to limited partners in the commercial sector, donors to the T1D Fund engage with management and leadership, redefining the philanthropic experience and creating a differentiated donor experience.

All donors must contribute a minimum of $500,000 over four years. Donors do not receive distributions on gains as all returns are reinvested back into the Fund so that we can support the next generation of life-changing T1D technologies.

As a donor, you benefit from:

501(c)(3) donation, with associated tax benefits at the time of contribution for U.S. donors

Local tax benefits for international donations

Regular updates on investments, transparent quarterly reporting including webcasts, and face-to-face updates — just like a venture capital Fund

Full access to management and governance groups

Having a say in the election of three board members

Active participation in the deployment of your capital

Join us

If you’d like to know more about our investing guidelines or want to talk to us about putting your capital to work for the T1D mission, we encourage you to contact Amy Montalto.

About the JDRF T1D Fund

Our aim is to create a new investment market aimed at delivering solutions to those living with or at risk of developing T1D. Launched in December 2016, the T1D Fund is a combination of venture capital and philanthropy focused solely on T1D. It’s the first scale, mission-driven venture philanthropy fund focused on commercial investments in companies developing life-saving T1D products. The portfolio consists of therapeutics, devices, vaccines, and diagnostics. We already have made several investments and the list will only continue to grow.